'That's a good question': Mick Jagger shines a light on a common filler phrase
If you’re a spokesperson and have found yourself stuck on an answer, you’re in good company. Mick Jagger also struggles.
In a recent interview, David Marchese, writer and co-host of The Interview, asked the 82-year-old icon how his thinking about sex has changed over time.
The answer, which starts at 36:36, was immediately one of my all-time favourites.
Why do we use filler words?
Mick Jagger nails it.
In interviews, spokespeople often feel pressure to answer a question immediately. I think this happens, in part, because so often the interviews we see on TV or hear on radio are edited. When the pauses and gaps are taken out, it’s easy to get the impression that every guest knows the answer right away and can deliver it perfectly without giving it any thought.
When an interview is live, though, this is when we hear guests say things like, “That’s a great question.”
Some questions genuinely are great. But I once heard a live radio interview in which the guest started every answer with, “That’s a great question.” Every single answer. Even if it made sense or was true the first time, you can imagine that its impact dropped steadily with each repetition.
What “That’s a good question” and phrases like it (“Thanks for that question,” “I think the answer to your question is…”) are actually doing is buying time for the spokesperson to come up with an answer to a question they hadn’t expected. Maybe they don’t know the answer but don’t know how to say so, so are stalling as their brain scrambles to decide what to do. Or maybe they do know the answer but don’t know how to formulate it, and just need a few seconds to think about it before they start speaking. That’s why we call them filler words. They fill time without adding anything to the discussion.
In normal conversations, if someone asked us something unexpected or complex, we’d just say something like, “Huh. I hadn’t thought of it that way before” or “Hmm. Let me think about that.” Or we’d just nod, think and take a stab at an answer. This could take a few seconds, but because we don’t expect real-life conversations to be perfect we’re okay with that.
So here’s a note to spokespeople: Be okay with silence. Not long stretches of it, necessarily; it shouldn’t be awkward or uncomfortable. But if you need a few seconds — our brains usually do, after all — take them. You don’t need to explain that you want to or need to think about it; just do it.
How to avoid filler words
In media training, we use our time to help spokespeople make the most of every question and answer. Know this: Time is on your side. It’s better to pause and think than to be jump in with an answer that’s unclear or you later regret.
Here are the three steps I recommend for avoiding filler words:
Listen. Listen to every word of the question. Often our brain will hear a combination of words and think, “Oh! I know where this is going. Let me just start putting that answer together.” We stop listening carefully. But sometimes the question is not exactly what our brain thought it would be and the answer we’ve pieced together is not a good fit. What comes out isn’t clear — and clarity is everything.
Absorb. Think about whether you understand the question or need clarification. Then decide if you know the answer to the question and, if you do, whether it’s one you should answer. (It’s okay for some answers to be confidential, after all.) Then start to think of how you might want to shape your answer, from start to finish. If you’ve planned adequately for your interview, this should take a few seconds, tops. (If you haven’t planned, call me!)
Respond. Deliver your answer. If you can, parse it out; one thought per sentence is a good rule of thumb. This makes it easy for you to say, makes it easy for the audience to hear and understand, and makes it easy for a journalist to edit. It also lets you emphasize what’s truly important.
Depending on the outlet, maybe don’t be as colourful in your language as Mick Jagger. But if all else fails, at least take comfort in knowing you’re not alone.
